Giorgio Vecchio traces Odoardo Focherini's life from his early years in Carpi through his work in Catholic Action and as editor of Avvenire, to his final months in the concentration camps. Vecchio's historical account is both detailed and clear, enriched by primary texts and transcripts of actual testimonies. They reveal the remarkable optimism and positivity that defined Focherini's entire life.
He was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 1969 for his courageous work helping Jews escape persecution during the war. Yet the final years of his own life were anything but just. Arrested and deported, he died in Hersbruck concentration camp, another victim of the Nazi regime's terrifying machinery. Particularly moving are the letters Focherini smuggled out to his wife during his imprisonment—letters that bear witness to a faith and will to live that never abandoned him, even in those darkest hours.
Recently, he was beatified, recognized for the courage, good humor, and profound faith that transformed an ordinary man into someone extraordinary.
M.C., 2012